Sunday, May 1, 2011

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan

Cauliflower tastes like a mix of cabbage and broccoli to this cheap epicurean. Steamed is fine, but I prefer my cauliflower oven roasted. It brings out a caramelized sweetness, and by drizzling on some olive oil and adding dried parmesan, kicks it into a scrumptious flavor profile.

And cauliflower is a cheaply nutritious veggie I don't cook enough with. My local market always has it on sale.

The dried parmesan I use probably has been on the shelf for a decade, but roasting it helps bring back the sharp cheesy flavor. Of course, you can use a fresher expensive name brand.

I like to cook the cauliflower with leaves and stems - no point in wasting anything, it's all good! Roasting veggies helps to retain their natural crunch.

I bet that once you try my Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan recipe, it will become a favorite you will frequently serve.

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. I roast the whole head of cauliflower including stem and leaves. Remove stem and leaves from cauliflower. Trim off brown or dried ends of stem and leaves. Slice stem into one inch pieces. Turn over cauliflower with stem side up and break, or slice off cauliflower florets. Usually the last floret is a big one, so just slice it into edible size pieces.

Bake uncovered for 30 - 45 minutes, to desired tenderness*. Turn cauliflower florets a couple of times during baking to evenly brown. Cauliflower stems will pierce easily with a knife or fork when done.

*Sometimes I cover the cauliflower for half the time so it steams even softer, just uncover for the final 20 minutes or so, to get some of the brown caramelization.

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I take the
haute out of cuisine, developing tasty recipes that anyone can afford to
make. I use food ingredients that cost around 99 cents each, or 99
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